Saudi Arabia Makes COVID-19 Booster Shot Mandatory to Enter Public Places

Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of full vaccination and receiving the booster shot to ward off the coronavirus. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of full vaccination and receiving the booster shot to ward off the coronavirus. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Makes COVID-19 Booster Shot Mandatory to Enter Public Places

Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of full vaccination and receiving the booster shot to ward off the coronavirus. (SPA)
Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of full vaccination and receiving the booster shot to ward off the coronavirus. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that the number of people infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is on the rise in the Kingdom.

Abdulrahman al-Hussein, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, said only people who have taken all their vaccine jabs, as well as a booster shot, will be allowed to enter facilities, commercial centers, malls, restaurants and cafes.

The decision will be effective from Feb. 2022.

Access to commercial centers and major facilities is now possible by scanning an automated verification barcode, and each establishment is required to assign monitors to ensure shoppers are following the rules, he stressed.

He warned against any non-compliance to the health measures, such as wearing masks, checking health status on the Tawakkalna app and disinfecting all surfaces, especially shopping trolleys and baskets after each use.

The supervisory teams in the ministry continue to monitor compliance with the measures, Hussein stressed.

In December, more than 70,000 inspection rounds were carried out, in which more than 700 violations were detected.

Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed Abdelali said omicron has now been detected in nearly 115 countries around the world.

He stressed that addressing the pandemic requires compliance with precautionary measures, such as completing all the coronavirus vaccine doses, including the booster shot, and implementing all protocols recently announced by the competent authorities.

The booster shot has been made available for people aged 16 and above and three months after they received the second jab.

Saudi Arabia has administered over 49,550,000 COVID vaccine shots at 587 vaccination centers.



Saudi FM Receives Moldovan Counterpart, ICRC President

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah welcomes Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah welcomes Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
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Saudi FM Receives Moldovan Counterpart, ICRC President

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah welcomes Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah welcomes Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi in Riyadh on Monday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received in Riyadh on Monday Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popsoi.

They reviewed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them in various fields. They also tackled regional and international developments.

A general agreement on cooperation between the two countries' governments was signed, which aims to strengthen bilateral coordination on topics of common interest.

Also on Monday, Prince Faisal received President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric.

They reviewed aspects of cooperation in the relief fields and discussed regional and international developments and humanitarian efforts exerted towards them.